Face-Off at the Altar Read online

“But we are good now, and nothing will come between us. Don’t get worked up over that or the choices they have made. They love you both, they are parents. Parents don’t see wrong in their children because their eyes are clouded by their love for them.”

  “Well, in the meantime, their love for her hurt me.”

  He nodded before leaning in close, his lips at her ear. “So I’ll love you for everyone, okay? Just please, calm down. I don’t want you this upset over something we can’t change. You can’t change them. You can’t change Skylar. All we can do is worry about each other. Breathe, baby, I got you.”

  Pulling back, he smiled, kissing the side of her mouth. She hadn’t realized she was shaking or that she was on the brink of tears, but she was. Her whole body was red with anger, and her heart was pounding against her ribs so hard. Looking around, she saw that people were staring. Lucy was in the corner, her eyes wide, and Mekena felt stupid. Small. She felt out of control. Something she rarely felt.

  Except when she was with him.

  Looking deep into his eyes, she nodded as she sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he said, kissing her nose once more.

  “Mekena,” her mother said, but she shook her head.

  “I can’t. I can’t do this. I am so mad at you, at Dad, and the reason I don’t call is because of my anger—”

  “Then let us fix that,” her father stressed, coming in closer. “You’re right, we shouldn’t have handled it the way we did. But we really thought it wasn’t that big of a deal. We didn’t know it was this deep, that she had done what she did. We thought he was scum, and in a way, we were glad you were rid of him. But when we heard the whole story, when she admitted to what she did, we realized our mistake, and we are so incredibly sorry.”

  “We never meant to hurt you. We just didn’t have all the facts,” her mother added, but Mekena shook her head.

  “You don’t need the facts. If I’m hurt, feel for me.”

  “Oh, baby, we did. But like your dad said, we’d thought it was good he was gone. Who sleeps with someone’s sister, you know? But when the truth came to light, we realized that Skylar was the scum,” her mother said, struggling on the last word. “Kennie, she is so sick.”

  When her mother’s voice broke, Mekena looked up, her heart hurting for her mom. She didn’t like the way they’d handled the situation, that was a given, but these were her parents and she did love them. Markus was right; they loved their children. It was apparent all over their faces.

  Clearing his throat, her dad said, “She got busted. This time, with cocaine. We told her we’d pay for the lawyer if she’d get help. She doesn’t want it. She doesn’t want our help.”

  “And we don’t know what to do,” her mother cried, and Markus reached out, taking her hand.

  “There is nothing you can do, and I know that hurts. I can’t imagine. But addicts are a different kind of monsters, and unless they want help, you can’t help them,” he stressed, and Mekena was in awe of him.

  These people were the parents of the woman who’d tried to rape him, and he was consoling them. Her heart couldn’t take it, and she found herself falling in love with him all over again. Who knew a person could fall multiple times for another? But she was. Completely in love with him.

  “All you can do is pray, and maybe she’ll wake up,” he added, and Mekena wrapped her arms around his waist. He smiled, tucking her into his side before looking back at her parents. “It won’t be easy, but I think you need to let her know you love her and that you’re there for her.”

  Her father nodded his head. “That’s what the therapist said.”

  “Yeah, those therapists are actually smart,” he said with a laugh, and her father smiled.

  Her father reached out, cupping Mekena’s hand. “I’m sorry we hurt you, Kennie. We love you so much.”

  “We do,” her mother cried, nodding her head. “And you’re right, we haven’t done right by you with everything, but that will change. We’ll do better.”

  “We will,” her father promised.

  That was all Mekena wanted, but she wasn’t sure if she could believe them. Skylar would always be the star in their eyes. Mekena was the geeky, brainy kid they didn’t have to worry about because she was too smart to do the things Skylar did growing up. Jumping out of trees and breaking limbs? Nope, not Mekena. Getting caught sleeping with a guy in her room? Hell no, not Mekena. Failing her senior year? No way, Mekena could have graduated her junior year. As she stared into her parents’ faces, she understood more and more what Markus meant. They didn’t have to worry about Mekena; she was good. But Skylar, she needed their worry, their extra love.

  She didn’t have what Mekena did.

  A job she loved. A bright future. A guy who would love her enough for everyone.

  “Sounds good,” she said simply, her parents’ faces filling with relief.

  “Great. Let us take y’all to lunch, my treat,” her father insisted, but before Mekena could politely decline, Markus was grinning beside her, his hands holding her tightly.

  “Actually, we are here with our interior decorator, and she’s expensive. So maybe dinner? Tonight?”

  When Mekena heard Lucy laugh, she smiled since they all knew they were watching Angie for Lucy and Benji as payment. Her father nodded happily as her mom wiped her face and grinned. “Sounds great. Six okay?”

  “Great. I’ll be starving by then if I don’t die looking at lamps,” Markus joked, and she beamed up at him as her father cupped his shoulder.

  “I hear you,” he laughed before looking back at Mekena. “I think you got yourself a good one.”

  “I do,” she said, holding him close.

  “Wouldn’t expect anything less. We all know how Mekena is,” her dad joked, and Markus nodded.

  “She doesn’t settle for anything but the best,” he said with a cheesy grin that she rolled her eyes at.

  Mekena smiled as her mother spoke up. “We always have said that. Only the best for our Kennie.”

  Mekena’s heart soared as she nodded. “Yeah, okay, stop. Y’all are making me blush. We’ll see you tonight? I’ll text you the address to the restaurant?”

  “Sounds good. Make sure it’s a good steak place,” her dad said as he cuddled her mom up.

  “I agree. I’m feeling cow,” he said, grinning at Mekena as she rolled her eyes.

  “We aren’t getting the chair,” she muttered before nodding to her parents and saying brightly, “See y’all tonight.”

  They said bye and started for the rugs while Mekena stood with Markus, wrapped up in his arms. Her heart was singing for him as his lips dusted her temple. She could feel his heart beat against her chest, and when she looked up, he looked concerned.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Good. You can cancel dinner if you don’t want to go. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.”

  “Do you want to go?”

  “I do. I like them. They seem nice enough.”

  She smiled. “They are. I just came to the realization they really don’t have to worry about me. It isn’t that they favor Skylar, it’s just they don’t have to be concerned about me the way they have to with her.”

  “You’re right.”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Maybe she is sick.”

  “Drugs are scary.”

  “I don’t know if I can help her, though. I’m still so mad.”

  “Which is understandable. Your forgiveness will come.”

  Mekena nodded. “Yeah, but right now, I’m good. Great, even.”

  “Yeah, you are. Hot too.”

  She giggled as she smacked him. “Thank you for being amazing to them. You didn’t have to.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to because I love you, and they are a part of you.”

  “Which means I’m going to church on Sunday?”

  He grinned. “Yup, and I’ll get you a Sunday hat.”